Garda 'facilitated extortion call'

A garda “facilitated” an extortion phone-call which was later used as the basis to arrest a Co Donegal murder suspect, the Morris Tribunal heard today.

The call was made in November 1996 from the home of Raphoe-based Garda John O’Dowd to local bread man Michael Peoples – a suspect in the death of cattle dealer Richie Barron a month earlier.